From runway to orbit and back

EVERY decade or so, enthusiasts dream up plans for yet another spaceplane—a craft that can take off from a runway like an aeroplane, fly up into orbit to deliver a payload, and then glide back to Earth for a runway landing. And then be ready to do the same again within a day or two. Nothing has ever come of them. Even so, the dream persists. What is not to like about a workhorse launch vehicle that jettisons none of its parts while climbing up to orbit and returns to Earth intact, ready to...

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